INDUSTRIAL LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1912, 21 November 1913, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL LAWS.

* N.S.W. ROYAL COMMISSION'? , REPORT; important, recommendations "All over tho world , attention v. has" ! ,ccn drawn of late years io the marked . ■. increase in the cost of living, and tho . • . topic being in tho air, it has naturally l -' / .••been a. fertile breeder of discussion bc- j fori! wages hoards where there wero ob- -O- : vious inducements io niako the most of •" . it, ; Tins observation was made bv Sir, Piddingtoii, ICC., lloyal Commissioner, on the operation of tho industrial ■: v , laws in Now South Wales in his final I'cpor't io tlie Government. /■■■..'■ ''As !). consequence,''-. ho. proceeded, the same issue, namely, whether that cost has increased, ejg., during the last two years, and if so to what extent tho minimum wage ought to be raised? has been ihiashod out before a number of boardE sitting simultaneous- . ly, yet having no possibility or opportunity of harmonising their iindings. It : is hard to imagine any kilid of judicial system, -ex.cep.t the present one of a very large number of tribunals wholly disso- - eiated from 0110 angt.hor, where ilie same " ■ jssiies could be raised, dealt with 1 by lengthy evidence, and decided, and yet nonetof these tribunals, binds any othor,' and each of them acts on its own inde- ■ pendent conclusions. ' tbo witnesses beforo mo attriinudi of the delay-in recent lieajv iiigs to the elaborate way in which the question of the cost of living was gono "'to, and all of thorn agreed with tho

suggestion which I mado eaily in the r case that tho question of tho cost of ' I'MUR, and of a minimum wrtgo for i adult, male labour, should bo. poriodicalh say oiico a year, dotcrmineq, by tin liidopondoiit tribunal, consisting either - ' ■ . $ lr ®P. iWfSO?..! Sr. of some special csijm- -.?■ ■.' 1 ppsito body armed tvith .the necessary authority under statutory provision. Since this evidence was Riven I havo . had an opportunity of reading the. report of tho Royal Commission on food ' Mipphes and prices in tho which the : Commissioner, M". Bavin, arrives at tho ■ con elusion that some' pormanenfc body ■ might fix a living wage. Should tho course bo adopted of setting up such a , tribunal, it jnay be thought desirable '■& tliirt ■■Parliament should givo some dolmition of what constitutes n liviue ■wage; , ■■■■.:■;"■. "As to the nature of tho tribunal to <-■' determine tho matter, it may bo doubt- ' ed whether any bettor fitted' Body could ' ■ - be found than the three Judges' of the Court, who would bo able to operate oil continuous principles and to deal with each period much more promptly onco a basis for tho evidcnco and tho deoi- - sioii. bad been obtained.'' • ; 1 Sir. I'i.ddingt.on rccoinmeiided. Judges for tho boards, without representatives f roin the employers and. the employees. ; Fearing, however, that public opinion might be against the absence of representatives, he suggested -that if tho com- ■ posite boards are retained the parties should have the power, if agreeable, to dispense with their representatives, and lea-vo tho trial to the Judge alone. The ■ Commissioner also recommended that the .payment- of fees totlio laymembeiß nf Wages Hoards should bo"abolished. Ho thought it was desirable that case"! should bo struck tiul. or their hearing ■'■■ suspended when a substantial .number of > tho membors of tile claimant union-arc'' " oil stride, or a union makes application to tbo Comomnwcalth Court on substantially the samo matters"; Mr, . Piddington further suggested that the hours of closing, shops in-:tho-' farriers', tobacconists', butehers', chemists',, and. hairdressers' trades should bo determined by tho Wages- Boards. On the question of penalties for striking, the Commissioners found tliSt the present provisions are considered by .employers to be effective if enforced. Ho therefore; suggested that prosecutions for striking should bo automatic and not by..executive action. Nor "should an .employer bo called upon to find tbo evidcnco for the prosecution. A striko of public servants, as at, Darling Harbour in April, Mr. Piddington declared to be indefensible. .Ho likened it to. a i; mutiny iil the army or navy, or a striko of policemen. The accrued privileges of strikers in the Government service,' | with the exception perhaps of -suporaii- ■■■ nuation rigliSs. should bo automatically : terminated.. A money bond by unions ' did not commend itself to tho Comniis- • •sioiier. Nor did ho favour removing the names of strikers from the electoral roll.; Mr. Piddington was convincod of - lie wisdom of a secret ballot hefolo' strikes, and also during a striko, and had recommended an nmeridmoiit of tho law in those respects. Ho did not, fnv- • our the. crnnti.ig ofabsolute preference' : to unionists- as a possible' strike' preventive.